The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-03
Tho Modern Cain.
Am my brothers keeperl"

Am my brothers keeperl"
In the dim morning twilight of the years.
Amurderers voice gave utterance to the words;
A brothers blood cried from the ground TO heaven;
brother's hand had struck the fatal blow
The cherished younger brother fell beneath.
Shroudless and cofinless upon the earth
Deaths first born lay and DER the pulseless form
The wall of human grief arose: MY son
Awake thee from this strange. this awful sleep;
mother mourns thee and her tears of grief
Are fallngvon thy pale. unconscious brow:
Awake and bless her with thy wonted SMILE"
In vain,-in vain; that sleeper never woke
The murderer fed, but on his brow was fixed
stain that battles wear and washing, red
Forever The murderer fled away
Into the wilderness; but, as he fed,
A fateful voice. sounding in his ears
From the still air around-from heaven above,
And from the earth beneath, whispered, yet loud
As sevenfold thunders in the of guilt
Where is thy brother CANT?
Upon his brow
The fearful mark was set. and yet he dared
Make answer to the living God. DENYING guilt.
The CHASTITY crimson dew was on the sward,
The mother sorrewing cry still rent the air.
And sun aud stars looked down upon the face
OF Abel slain, aud yet the murderer cried
Am my brothers keeper! Is it mine
To guard his footsteps and to follow him
Whithersoeer he goethl II it mine
To know his fate What though the thirsty earth
Should drink his bloodl My hands are innocent.
Am my brothers keepers"
Cain. thy hand
Hath laid him low Thy brothers innocent blood
Cries from the earth against thee: every stone
Will find a tongue to curse thee and the winds
The heaven above thee, and the earth beneath
Will ever wall this question in thy ears:
Where is thy brother, CANT" And it shall be
Through all the eras of the time to come.
That every man who takes brother life.
Reddening his impious hand in innocent blood.
Shall bear the name and wear the brand of Cain.
Deal death unto his brother Drop by drop
The cursed poison distled-for gold:
The Drumming goblet cleaned with ruby light,
As filled with liquid fire. Death lurked beneath.
Invisible to him who seized the cup
And drank unto its dregs the poisoned draught;
And ever as he drank strange tremors thrilled
Through brain and nerve, strange fires lit his eye;
Reason and will dethroned. he staggered forth
Into The darkness-not unto his home
Home had he none, any resting-place.
Save the cold earth furnished him couch,
Till at the last he miserably died.
Outcast of earth and without hope of heaven.
They buried him. not with his kindred dead,
But in the Potter's Field they dug his grave,
And gave his worthless body to the worms
No stone was ever reared above his dust;
No mourner. sorrowing, at evening, came
To pray by that unhallowed sunken mound
Or plant sweet flowers there, but noxious weed
And briers grew above and men forgot
Who slept there. It was we'll yea merciful,
Thus to forget Oblivion sweet.
Once had he friends; happy home was his;
His Mary loved him. and about his knees
Gathered his happy children. AS dream
A dream of bliss-2assed those unclouded years.
And more than all-for what were earth alonel-
He claimed an interest in the world above.
And A., he was wont at morn and eve to read
The sacred oracles of God. and then
To offer up PRAYER that He who made
The heavens and earth would humbly deign to bless
And save the suppliants that implore His aid,
And save the souls by poverty distressed
And save the tempted from the tempter power.
But was his soul a citadel of strength
Why slept the sentinel upon its walls
Unconscious of the ambushed foe without
He dreamed not of his danger-heeded not
The warning whispers of friend, nor yet
The mild reproof of Mary's saddened face.
It came, at last. the shadow Of his fate
Across the threshold of his happy home.
Twas but shadow, it would pass away.
The cloud that cast it darker, blacker grew,
AS from the pit IL The fatal bolt
Fell from that cloud in wrath. The towering tree
Was shivered by the lightninss vengeful stroke,
And laid its coronal of glory low:
Nor evermore for it were airs of balm
Or blessed sunshine. or the song of birds,
Green leaves, or bursting buds. or ripening'fruit.
A human heart was broken by bolt
That fell as surely not as suddenly,
As did the lightning on the towering tree
The human victim. smitten, fingered on
| Joyous and hopeless. It was death in life;
| A withered, worthless life death itself.
And death to those whose love still cherished it.
A happy home ruined. Want and woe
Played with his children. and the smile of joy
| Left their sweet faces more to return.
| His Mary's face grew paler--paler still;
Her eyes were dimmea with weeping; and her soul
! Went out from those blue por tails. Mary died.
| And yet he wept not; at the demons call
| He drowned his sorrows in the maddening bowl,
| And when hey buried ner from sight. he sank
| His truest friend was gone and all the world
| Turned from him, as in loathing-all save one,
And he still piled the deadly trade of Cain
! Still placed the poison goblet to his lips.
And babe him drink, forget his God and die.
| He died.
Cain. Cain. where is thy brother now!
| Lives he or is he dead! Aye where is he!
| In heavenl Read thou the sentence of his doom:
NO drunkard ever shall inherit heaven"
Who sent him to the pit? Who dragged him down?
/ Who bound him hand and foot smiling the while
| The hellish work went ona Who grasped his gold
His health. his life. his hope-robbed him of all2
| Who saw, unmoved. his Mary fade and die,
| His beggared children crying in the streets.
Houseless and homeless. worse than fatheress,
| In tatters clad and begging crusts of breadi
| Speak, coward, if thou hast tongue. and tell
! Why hast thou slain with hellish arts man?
| Where is thy brother. Cain!
| redder mark
| Is on thy brow than on the brow of him
| Who slew the righteous Abei-him whose soul
! Was ripe for heaven Thrice accursed he
| Whose arts malignant sink soul to hell.
Rev. f. T.. Edwards Phi.